‘Our’ Earth and stuff…

This genuinely a complete ramble of word vomit… It started off with a point, then took a swift turn into something completely different, I managed to bring it back towards the end and I believe there’s a message in there somewhere… It’s just once I have a thought about something I have to get it out into the world. It’s an affliction and a lot of the time it doesn’t make sense, or it doesn’t convey the message I wanted it to and sometimes it’s just a load of nonsense. I believe this to be a mix of all three…

We don’t own the Earth, it doesn’t ‘belong’ to us. We’re only ‘renting’ a place here to live out our lives.
All of the places and things we name, such as rivers, lakes, countries etc, they don’t really have those names. We gave them names to make life easier, to distinguish between places, give directions have addresses etc. This may seem obvious to some of you but it’s something I think everyone should think about more often.

Even the homes you buy, your furniture etc; yes you might ‘own’ it now but clearly it’s not yours forever, maybe for your forever but not for times forever. (If that makes sense…)

These are the kind of things I ponder when I’m trying to sleep and it makes me realise how unimportant some things are. Most things really. Being alive and actually living a life that you’re happy with is ultimately the most important thing you can ever do.
The latest smart phone, flat screen TV, voice assisted devices around our homes, aren’t really worth much when you compare them to life.
We’re in a rather wasteful time where we ‘buy, buy, buy’, people want everything new even before the last thing you bought has even begun to age! It’s strange how we’re so worried about the environment but at the same time we crave all the shiny plastic new stuff!

My son is currently figuring out how to afford the PS5 (something that isn’t even out yet, at least at the time of me writing this) there is nothing wrong with his PS4 but he NEEDS the latest console. And, no, don’t tell me that’s down to parenting, it isn’t. It’s a wave that has swept across his generation.

However, for all their ‘consumer driven’ faults, his generation are more aware of the world around them, the movements that take place, the environmental impact we have on the world and how we can change and do better.
He’s always coming to me and showing me news stories, both good and bad, telling me how he feels about it. What he does and doesn’t agree with. I was never like that at 16 and I don’t believe that many of my friends were neither.
I could take the praise and put it down to parenting (of course I want the good things to be from me!) but it’s not just that, it’s the access they have to everything at once. They interact with people from around the world and they discuss things that matter. They care.
He gets involved, he gives his opinion, sometimes maybe when it’s not asked for, but he won’t stand by and watch injustices go unnoticed. I know he’ll call people out on things that are wrong, unjust, racist, sexist, homophobic, cruel.
He sees what’s right and wrong and he tries to correct it. So, yes the ‘make do and mend’ attitude is certainly not prevalent anymore but they seem to be more aware of the ‘bigger picture’.

Anyway, back to my original point, sort of…
We have this notion that we can make claims on things that don’t ever belong to anyone. We’ve created countries and towns and borders and districts. And I know these are warranted, as without them things would get confusing really fast! But aside from using to simplify life we use them as bargaining tools and reasons to cause rifts, start wars. And when it comes down to it, none of it means anything.
I don’t want this to sound like I’m saying everything is pointless because we’re all going to die, that’s not my point. In fact I mean the complete opposite. It all seems irrelevant and stupid because one day you won’t be here and eventually nobody will care that you had an iPhone 10 or owned Yugoslavia. And this is a good thing. This means you can stop yourself from thinking that it’s important. The bigger house, the better car, the latest gadget, they’re all fleeting.
Once again my blog post has not gone in the direction I anticipated. I have these great insights at 3 am and it feels like I have so much to say on a subject, then it’s gone and the end result is a far cry from where I thought it would be. I still feel like what I’ve said here is important and makes some sense.
I suppose it’s just another way for me to say fill your life with experiences, not things. Things and stuff, at least material things and stuff, aren’t important. Yes, okay, you need a roof over your head and a car is helpful for getting about, I’m not suggesting we all adopt the nomadic lifestyle, but just be a little more present about what you really need and don’t fill your life full of want.

Nature can seem cruel, but she balances her books – Alison Lurie